A 70-year-old hiker who had been missing for a week on a Michigan island was rescued on Saturday, according to the US Coast Guard.
Craig Berg was located on Isle Royale with the help of backpackers, Michigan state police troopers and local officials. Even though Berg was found injured and hypothermic, he is “alive and alertâ€, according to a statement posted to the Isle Royale national park's Facebook page.
After Berg was located, a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from US Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City hoisted Berg from the island and transported him to Marquette regional airport in Gwinn, Michigan, 140 miles (230km) away.
The Isle Royale national park's statement reported that Berg had been missing since 5 September.
Berg was on what was planned as a nine-day solo backpacking hike on the large Lake Superior island. He was supposed to take a ferry back to Michigan's Upper Peninsula on 5 September, but family members said that he did not arrive home.
According to Local 4, a Detroit station, Berg's family reported him missing when the hiker did not return as planned. Search and rescue missions began on 6 September.
Crews first focused on Rock Harbor, where Berg planned to end his hike, then expanded to other areas – including the Greenstone Ridge trail, where a trail camera captured Berg on 30 August, the report added.
In an interview with TV6, Berg's son, Evan, said that he is happy and relieved that his father has been located.
“He was in rough shape, but he's okay,†Evan said. “He's able to speak. He asked for food and water. We're just so grateful, and we couldn't be more happy and relieved, and we appreciate all the support we've had on social media, and we are just so grateful.â€
The National Park Service thanks the employees and partners who helped during the search.
​Isle Royale is a remote national park with no roads or wheeled vehicles allowed. Ground search teams navigating the island's 200 sq miles of solid land must move strictly by foot through dense boreal forest and rocky ridges.
Berg's rescue brings a successful conclusion to an intensive, week-long multi-agency operation across the remote, roadless island.
